Fantasy Fiction Author and Cover Designer

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I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone that helped my Kickstarter project become a success.

There are currently 7 days until the deadline and we are at 126% (£743 of the £600 target).

Due to the fact there is still a week remaining I have added some stretch goals and a new reward level. If I reach £750 (only £7 to go) I will use the additional funds to hire a professional proofreader for my novel. If I reach a total of £1,000 I intend to commission an illustrator to create three key scenes.

My new reward level is a big one. It is called ‘The Education Level’ and it is £500. I realise this is a lot of money but I thought a reward aimed at schools and colleges might be a good idea. For £500 I will visit a school or college and do a half day session with a class of students covering topics such as my inspiration, how I wrote my novel, getting published, formatting and marketing techniques amongst others. I will also set a challenge with a prize of a Kindle and 3 signed paperbacks. Don’t forget, you get all the rewards from the other levels below this.

If you know anyone that might be interested please pass on this link http://kck.st/171KD09 where there is a video of me explaining what the project is for and what to do.

I just wanted to do a quick post on my new Kickstarter project. For those of you unfamiliar with Kickstarter, it is a platform where people can add their creative projects and set a target funding goal/deadline. People can choose different funding levels and receive lots of great rewards for their support. However, it is an all or nothing situation. If the goal is not reached by the deadline the project is cancelled, no money is donated and the creators are sad 😦

I started my Kickstarter project to help fund a professional edit of my self-published debut fantasy fiction novel, Tirfo Thuin. Mu novel was first published in December 2011 and has achieved over 2,500 sales and plenty of 5* reviews. However, I am mindful that this book has not undergone a full professional edit/proof read that a big name publisher would have been able to supply. What I am hoping to achieve is support to help fund this professional edit whilst offering loads of nice rewards and goodies along the way.

Please feel free to take a look and see if you are interested in any of the rewards and pass it on to all your friends. The clock is ticking. Thanks.

During June my debut fantasy fiction novel, Tirfo Thuin, is free as an eBook. That means all you lucky people with Kindles, iPhones, iPads, Kobo’s etc will be able to download it for free. That is free. Zero Pounds/Dollars/Euros/Spondoolies.

You might wonder at my motives. Why make something that took years of my life to complete absolutely free? Well, there are a few reasons.

The first is that I did not write Tirfo Thuin to make money. Don’t get me wrong, I am far from rich but I did not sit there as the characters and story of Tirfo Thuin unfolded thinking, ‘Cha-ching, this is going to make me money.’ I wrote it thinking only of the story and where it might lead. Getting Tirfo Thuin published was an afterthought and one that actually came long after I had finished my first draft.

When you have a love of writing, and a passion to put pen to paper, you do it because you enjoy it. Some people like football, some people like video games or chess. I like all these as well but I also get the same level of enjoyment from seeing a story unfold. Therefore, I did not write to make money so it doesn’t matter that I give my book away.

The second reason is simple. I have just uploaded a second edition that includes a few minor tweaks/refinements. Nothing major, the story is the same but feedback from readers is crucial to me and after so many sales it was inevitable that I would receive some constructive feedback. After all, what is the point in being a writer if you do not listen to your readers? As a thank you to all the people who have already bought it but are yet to read it, and to all you that are new to Tirfo Thuin I offer you the shiny new version for free. Go ahead, download it again and get rid of the old version.

The third and final reason is that I want my book to be read and to receive lots of honest reviews. If you decide to take the chance to download the book (you might as well, it’s free after all) please do leave an honest review where you bought it and, if you get the chance, on Goodreads.com too. The only way readers know whether to get a book is if good honest people like yourselves let them know it is worth clicking the Download button.

Like this:

Now my debut novel – Tirfo Thuin – is available I wanted to write an opening post on my new blog that contained loads of promotional stuff about my book – buy buy buy it’s amazing etc.

However, when I really thought about it I realised I didn’t actually care about getting lots of sales. I am writing this post using a note app on my iPhone while traveling home on a packed tram from a manic day at the office. I’m tired. I’m miserable. I’m cramped. However, all I can think as I look around the tram is ‘I wonder if the middle-aged business woman in her grey suit would love my book. I think so. I wonder if the guy who looks like a graphic designer would like it. For sure. I wonder if the group of noisy rebellious teens would love my book. I would bet money on it.

Please do not mistake my lack of care for how well Tirfo Thuin sells as me not caring about my audience because I do, greatly. Or that I may not care about the quality of my writing because, again, I do. My first novel took years to complete and I will probably still think of things I could improve now it’s published – none of us are perfect.

What I mean is that I write because I love it (not to make money) and I publish to give my writing a purpose and so, hopefully, some of you can get pleasure from the hours, days, months I spent slaving over notepads and laptops to make what I hope is a great book.

I don’t need high sales. I have a day job as a project manager that I love. I am far from rich from a money point of view but I am comfortable. I am rich from a family point of view as I have a great wife, daughter and family who I love very much. So you see the measly 30p from each sale means very little to me. If I cared only for money I wouldn’t sell my years of work for less than a double cheeseburger 🙂

What is actually priceless to me is that just 1 person who I have never met, maybe never even come across online, takes a chance on my novel and tells me they liked it.

I would get more pleasure out of receiving 5 nice reviews on Amazon than I would if I sold 100,000 copies, made a great chunk of money but got no feedback. After all, I’m never going to leave my job to be a writer no matter how many books I sell.. It is something I love to do but I also like the day-to-day aspects of my life. That is where I draw inspiration and structure from. That is just life.

I’ll wrap this up by saying if you like a good read about a rebellious hero, someone who has all the odds stacked against them but still tries anyway, this book is for you. It is a great fantasy fiction novel that also covers day-to-day issues we all encounter (loss of parents, single parent families, coming of age, racial and religious divides) in a subtle way. I here you all cry ‘that doesn’t sound like a fantasy fiction book’ but that is the beauty. I am sure all you Harry potter fans are going to love it anyway. I even got a comment off one reviewer stating it could be better than HP – the book not the sauce. Done in the right way you can combine any genre with hard-hitting themes like these and it means you do not need to be a hardcore fantasy fiction fan to love this book.

Anyway, check it out and I hope you like it. I will be happy if just one of you tells me you enjoyed it and as a thank you for taking the time to read and review my book I will be giving away some free goodies – http://tirfothuin.wordpress.com/bonus-material/